Bored of DSLR's....

[noxas]

Hey guys, I have been using 550D's for a good few years now, and yes theyre great, and so are the 5D's along with most other DSLR's, but im begining to get a little bit wery of the shutter actuations/death rate which is common with DSLR's.

What I'm looking to do, is to buy an alternative camcorder to DSLR's, which is actually made for video, but also allows just as much control in terms of manual settings of ISO, Gain, Interchangeable lenses, SDHC recording etc...

But I've been under a rock since using the 550D that I've lost touch with the current camcorder models so Im unsure as to whether there is a camcorder that is capable of such feats... Like most people, I dont have a massive budget, but I'm just wondering what kind of non-dslr Camcorders (if any) are able to do the above?

I have looked at the Sony NEX-VG20E, but im not sure how much control that has....

Thanks!

 

[ItDonnedOnMe]

im begining to get a little bit wery of the shutter actuations/death rate which is common with DSLR's

Are you using your DSLR heavily for photography and/or timelapse? Otherwise I wouldn't worry about the shutter actuations issue as you aren't using the shutter while shooting video. Shutter should be good for over 100,000 shots.

The VG20 has all the manual controls, the main thing it's lacking is any control over the image settings (color, contrast, sharpness, etc). There's not much else in that price range other than DSLRs though.

 

[FrankLad]

For standard DSLR videogarphy it's all electronic shutter (held open initially, then stays that way while you record)... so mechanical shutter failure isn't really an issue unless you were using a DSLR for stop-motion or otherwise heavy/continuous picture-taking.

EDIT: ItDonnedOnMe beat me to it.

But a couple of good reasons for going with a standard CCD camcorder over a DSLR would be to avoid moiré/aliasing and rolling shutter skew. THOSE things really make me miss CCD cams.

 

[Phil_UK]

550D, 600.000 Shutter actuations bi*ches

Canon C300 is nice!

 

[Jack Lynt]

Yes, I worry about that too. But, I don't know, Ken Rockwell just recently posted this on his site. I'll bet he's right. Sounds reassuring, anyway.

I'm always amused when hobbyists ask me with great concern if a used camera with 8,000 actuations is worth considering.

So? Cameras aren't even broken-in until they hit 10,000 or 20,000 shots!

My all-plastic, cheapest-DSLR-ever-made-by-Nikon D40 has about 50,000 shots on its clock, and still runs like new.

My professional D3 is up to 60,000 or more, and of course it runs exactly as it did in 2007 when I got it. It's the camera on which I shoot all the product shots you see in my reviews.

Your new D800s are rated for 200,000 shots, and the 5D Mark III is rated for 150,000 shots.

Guess what happens when you hit 200,000 shots on your D800: nothing! It keeps on going. Nikon's seen F5s with seven-figure shutter counts, and they are still going strong. The F5 was rated maybe 50,000 or 100,000 shots.

Guess what happens if you ever manage to wear out a shutter? You send it in for service and for just a few hundred dollars, Nikon or Canon can replace the shutter assembly, and you're back to shot zero again.

Used camera buyers are getting like Ferrari collectors, who flatbed their cars in for oil changes as not to rack up the miles. You'll see 10-year-old Ferraris for sale with 497 miles on them, as if that was good.

Tens of thousands of actuations is barely breaking-in a DSLR. When I get a new camera, I've already knocked-out a few thousand frames just getting familiar with it before I start any real shooting. Don't worry about it.

-- Ken Rockwell

 

[brianluce]

I had a JVC HD100 with about 400 hours on the tape heads that blew up. Out of warranty. Had a Canon 20d with 10k actuations that stopped working cuz the shutter. Out of warranty. I've been running my GH2's like sled dogs for a few years now. No issues.

 

[chilipie]

The VG20 has all the manual controls, the main thing it's lacking is any control over the image settings (color, contrast, sharpness, etc). There's not much else in that price range other than DSLRs though.

From what I've seen of the VG20, the rolling shutter and moiré are just as bad if not worse than the Canon DSLRs. Shame really, as the form factor's quite nice.

I had a JVC HD100 with about 400 hours on the tape heads that blew up. Out of warranty. Had a Canon 20d with 10k actuations that stopped working cuz the shutter. Out of warranty. I've been running my GH2's like sled dogs for a few years now. No issues.

But it's not a DSLR, so there are no moving parts

 

[jax_rox]

I had a JVC HD100 with about 400 hours on the tape heads that blew up. Out of warranty. Had a Canon 20d with 10k actuations that stopped working cuz the shutter. Out of warranty. I've been running my GH2's like sled dogs for a few years now. No issues.

You are comparing a 2004 DSLR and a 2005 prosumer camera with a 2010 digital camera (dslr/camcorder/large compact hybrid).
My 550D is still going strong after 20-30k shutter actuations and shows no sign of slowing down. Plus, I've clocked up countless hours in video mode.
I think it depends on what you're looking for. A lot of the prosumer stuff coming out now is essentially a DSLR in a video camera body. I see no real point of upgrading a 550D to a Sony VG20.

The VG20 has no xlr-ins, only 3.5mm jack (like the 550D)
Same size sensor as the 550D
Average at best viewfinder
Inability to use the lenses you already have for your 550D
And all at double the price that you would've paid for your 550D new. Without a lens.

I have a Sony A1u from ~2005 that I still use when I have to, and it's great little camera, even after the beating it's taken for over 6 years. I plan to use my 550D until it decides to stop working. Unless I find I have enough work coming in to sustain and justify the purchase price of a Scarlet or F3, I don't think I personally need to buy a new camera - most of the productions I work on hire cameras/lenses in so..

Each to their own, but I personally see no gain of paying $1600-2000 for a camera that is essentially your 550D in a slightly bigger body.

 

[PaulGriffith]

Blackmagic Design's $2995 camera comes out soon.